Feral Hog Found On Macon County Farm

ARGENTA – Feral swine, wild hogs and pigs, are rare in central Illinois.But one feral hog was causing damage on a local farm.

“About 250 to 300 pounds.Every bit of it,” Macon County Sheriff's deputy Tim Hoffman told WAND's Doug Wolfe.The hog had probably been a pet at one time.“This one had been out some time.It became a scavenger and it became aggressive,” said Hoffman. The hog had to be put down.

Feral swine cause millions of dollars in crop and property damage each year.

“One point five billion dollars nationally,” stated Mark Alessi of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IDNR.“Feral swine are very bad for the ecosystem.Bad for agricultural fields.They do a lot of damage to those areas.”

In Illinois all of the breeding populations of feral swine have been eradicated.